Kensington And Chelsea Councillor Kim Taylor-Smith Forced To Apologise After Bereaved Father Walks Out Of Grenfell Meeting

The deputy leader rejected calls to resign.

The deputy leader of Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council was forced to apologise at a Grenfell meeting on Wednesday after a bereaved father walked out of the room during a discussion about rehousing.

Kim Taylor-Smith was talking about the “pressure” he was facing rehoming survivors of the tragedy when he told Ramiro Urbano, who lost his 12-year-old daughter Jessica in the blaze, that the local authority will “go at your speed” in allocating new houses.

So far, 169 offers of accommodation have been made to survivors of the fire, with 44 offers being accepted and 11 households rehoused.

Kathryn Snowdon
Kim Taylor-Smith was forced to apologise after bereaved father Ramiro Urbano walked out of a Grenfell Response Meeting.

After Urbano left the meeting at Notting Hill Methodist Church, Taylor-Smith was asked “please don’t speak to him like that”, with some claiming the Tory councillor was being “condescending”.

One volunteer told Taylor-Smith: “You’ve just spoken to that gentleman who lost his child. You look like you’re fed up. Can you imagine how everyone else is feeling?”

Earlier in the meeting, Taylor-Smith told residents: “I’ve heard many people asking me to resign and I had extensive press interviews, which is not something I enjoyed the next day [after the full council meeting] being asked that same question; resign, resign, resign.

“I’m not going to resign because somebody needs to step up and somebody needs to take on this job. And if I don’t deliver on this promise then there’s an election coming in May and you can vote me out.”

He told hecklers they can “shout as much as” they like, adding: “Shouting is not going to help.”

“Because every day I use my asthma pump more and more. When I look at my window ledge, it is black with dust from Grenfell Tower.

“I am 70 yards away from the tower. I do not believe your statistics. My chest is wheezing and I have been woken up in the night by disturbances.

“It’s anti-social. I’m telling police officers off at 3am to stop kicking an empty coke can around. I had one police officer laughing at 3am like a hyena. I’ve had enough. I’ve seriously had enough. I want out of Verity Close.”

He added:

“Of course the tenants of Grenfell Tower should be looked after. Of course, but you are forgetting the areas around. Verity Close, Silchester Road, we are suffering big time and I’ve had enough. I need some respite. I’m at breaking point.”

A representative from the Metropolitan Police said that some officers, who are working round-the-clock “try to let off steam, which is inappropriate when you’re trying to sleep”.

Yvonne Doyle, from Public Health England, said the air quality around the burnt-out high-rise tower is being monitored, yet many residents said they had been suffering from breathing difficulties in the wake of the fire.

One woman said that people she knows are having pains in their chests and nose bleeds as a result of the fire. Many others in the room shouted out in agreement with her comments.

A volunteer asked the panel to do more for the families of the deceased who live outside the area and are not part of the community, who she described as “completely isolated” and lacking support.

Rachel Turner-Wright, director of commissioning for children’s services at the council, tried to assure residents that more would be done for survivors and those affected by the issues raised.